How to start a woodworking business

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I started woodworking about 3 years ago. I built my kids a sandbox for the backyard. It was a satisfying and worthwhile first project. After that I demoed and rebuilt my deck. I watched a bunch of youtube videos, came up with a plan and design, used good materials and expanded the footprint to 12x16 feet. I learned a ton. It was super satisfying. And cost effective. After that I built my oldest son a bunkbed. After that I made wood block toys out of scrap 2x4. After that I made a giant size jenga set with a custom box. After that I started building benches and tables.

Today I’m writing about starting a carpentry/woodworking business. While I’m still very new to it, it makes sense to move into a more serious phase. And the business side is more or less the same as any startup. If you’re going to work, you might as well a) do what you like, and b) work for yourself.

Below is a evolving list of points to explore when getting started in woodworking. Many are ones I am currently working on and figuring out. Some I already have experience with. All of them are things every small business has to deal with.

The hardest part is starting.

1. Start where you are

I saw a great video from a guy who’s first point on getting started was the very same: start where you are. The first thing I built was a sandbox for my kids. Then I built my deck. Then a bunkbed, etc, etc. I’m drawn to building furniture, so that’s what I’m building.

Keep doing it. Build the same thing over and over. Build new things. Start with something and keep doing it. The video guy built 2x4 deck chairs. He made a bunch and started selling them. It’s pretty much the same story as any business getting started. Pick something to make. Make it. Sell it.

I’m still a beginner and worry I don’t know enough starting every single project. But I’m building. I’m learning. I’m trying new things. And I’m excited. I get stoked to look at furniture designs and carpentry methods. I’m enjoying doing something new and something analog. I like using my hands. It’s and ancient skill. And there’s a whole lot to know and do. So it’s a good one to get into for the future.

But for starters, just get at it. You don’t need a course. You don’t need a ton of tools. Watch some Youtube videos. And do it.

2. Tools

You need some basics but can do a lot with a mitre saw, drill, and sander. If you’re like me and a have a great neighbour who has every tool in the shed and doesn’t mind lending them to you, start there. Renting is a bit expensive, and there are so many budget friendly brands (Ryobi, Mastercraft, etc) to choose from that you can get started for relatively little investment.

3. Workspace

You have to have a space to work. This can be one of the trickiest points, especially in 4 season locations like Canada. If you’re lucky and have a garage or unfinished and unused basement, that works great. But if you’re like me and don’t, you need to figure something out. Often community or private space rentals are expensive and inconvenient, especially when getting started. Reach out to your community threads and social groups, someone might have something or know someone or be willing even to let you use their garage or back shed or something until you figure out something longer term. In cold months, you also really only need an indoor space for 4 months or so (if you’re like me and have a backyard to work in) and then you can get back to working outdoors.

Apartments and condos can be tricky as well. Some newer buildings have shops in them or multipurpose rooms that can be used for making a mess. But most don’t or can’t accommodate the noise and mess of woodworking. In these cases you might need to look a little harder for space or consider doing smaller wood projects that don’t require power saws or big lumber.

4. Committing to something new

Starting new things can be hard. Especially if you’re trying to make it a new career or start a business. It’s SO easy to get mired in the onslaught of emotions and fears when you start something new. Fraud syndrome is foremost for me. I haven’t been doing it long enough. I don’t know enough. How can I expect to charge people actual money for things I’m learning to build. How can I expect my family to support this. On and on. There are a million reasons not to do it. Simplest being that it’s just easier.

5. Making a brand

This point along with the following one are what my successful business friend said were more or less the biggest points in building a business: making a brand, and finding your market.

You need to have a name. It can just be your name. Or a variation on your last name. And it can change, but like anything, once you pick something it gets set in stone pretty quick. If you go with mylastname.com, and @mylastname for social media accounts, then send that all around to your contact list, it suddenly becomes what your business is. It’s good to get started, but it’s also good to think on this point a little and come up with something decent that will have likely success when choosing domain names and social media accounts.

After that, it’s about making a logo, and building a face for your business. For me this part is fun but also paralyzing. There are people who build brands and logos for a living. There are so many choices to make, from colors to fonts to imagery to sizing — when I think that logo I make now will remain the same 10 years into the future, I balk.

Start simple. Do some research. Find something unique but not shooting for the moon. And move forward. You can employ people for help or use online logo design services or sites like canva or others than offer premade brand and logo ideas.

6. Marketing

You can make as much of anything as you want. But you won’t sell anything until you connect with people who want to buy what you’re making. For this to happen you need all the usual stuff: a brand/business name, a website, product line, photos, descriptions, social media accounts, a way for people to contact you, a way for people to order what you make, a way for people to get what you make, a way for people to pay you for what you make. It’s alot. Just starting an Etsy shop is enough deterrent to not follow through. You need a credit card and banking information, personal information, extensive photos, detailed product descriptions, shipping details, product turnaround times, etc, etc, etc. But all this stuff is essential.

Start simple. Use one of the website builders or Shopify. They take outlandish fees but it helps to get going until you can figure out alternatives. Some people only use social media. Like all of these, the first and hardest part is getting started.

7. Make stuff. Alot.

One of the tricks of starting a physical products business is deciding what to make. You can’t make everything. You have to focus. At least a little. Like in my case with furniture. I’m not making chairs. I’m not making sofas. I’m not making cutting boards. I’m making tables and benches. I’ve made more things already than I think I can realistically offer in my startup model. I have a baby gate, a triangle climber, a bunkbed, block toys, jenga set, side table, console table, bench. I need to explore, but also focus and work at making repeatable, reliable products at a high quality level.

Choose a few things to focus on. And make them. Alot. Give things away. Make them for family. Post them for free on marketplaces. The more you build the better you’ll get and the more you’ll learn about pricing, labour, materials, tools, and develop skills.

8. Highlight what makes you different.

It doesn’t have to be much. Maybe you use sustainable materials, real wood, items are hand made, you manufacture products yourself, in Canada (or your country of origin), no cruelty or child labour is involved, some of your proceeds go to charity, whatever. Highlight those things that make you stand out in any way. It’ll help give little hooks for people to hang onto when they see your stuff.

9. Be patient. Prepare for failure. Keep going.

When I built my first bench I thought, hey I’m going to post this online and I bet it’ll sell like hotcakes. 2-3 months later, it hasn’t sold. Gets a lot of clicks. But no actual inquiries. I did get a commission for a custom hallway console table, which was my first sale. But that bench is still sitting.

I was hoping with the sale of that bench that I would get a whole arc of validation. It would prove my concept, show I could make money at it quickly, justify a change of career direction, allow me to dive into woodworking, build my brand, and start seeing the cash roll in.

It hasn’t gone exactly like that.

I spoke to a good friend who started a business from scratch that has since built into a multimillion dollar success. She said it’s a lot of work. You have be ready to invest. Alot. Your time, your money, maybe other peoples’ money, and tuck in for it to become your life. Everyone wants to “start a business”. But as Shark Tank and Dragon’s Den has taught us, it takes a lot of gumption, blood, sweat, tears, and money to do it.

And when you’re the only one really gunning for it, you have to be everything: the director, builder, designer, researcher, business developer, sales and marketing manager, and the cheerleading supporter. It’s scary. It’s hard. It’s nerve racking. Especially when it’s not even a thing yet. It’s certainly not making (much) money. And you don’t even know if it will ever make money.

But that’s how every business starts. Prepare for it to take time, be hard, fail, not work like you expected, and not make money. That’s not exactly a business plan, but every entrepeneur knows this story. Every successful person has walked this path. Make a plan. Work at it. Assess progress. Keep going.

10. Tell your friends.

I’m very private. I hate networking. I hate hawking myself. I hate even showing people what I do. But the best place to start a new business is with people you already know. Post your stuff to social media, or send out an email to make it personal. You can also consider a fundraising campaign using gofundme or kickstarter to get an initial feel/test/response for your products and the market. Ask some of your bigger folowing friends to help boost your brand on their channels. Get in touch with other woodworkers in your area (and in others) to try to connect, get advice, explore avenues, see what you can learn.

11. Do it.

My biggest hangups are indecision and uncertainty. Should I do this? But it’s so much work. I need so many things. I’m not really good enough. I haven’t really been doing this that long. I worry people won’t like my stuff.

An on and on. Imposter syndrome, fear, etc, etc. It’s in everyone to some degree. And it can paralyze you when trying to do something new. If you like what you’re doing, are making good stuff, and have the interes and tinclination to do it — do it. There are a thousand people out there making money from crap and banter.

Done is better than perfect. Perfect is always in process. Done is done.

Start. And keep going.